Sunday, March 14, 2010

Pearly Whites

Flash went off to the vet this past Friday. We dropped him off bright and early for his scheduled teeth cleaning. Flash loves car rides and always starts the trip super excited, but he always knows the second we change lanes to turn into the parking lot. Without fail his ears perk up, he looks out the window and then he turns to look at me with an expression that clearly says, "you have betrayed me!" The staff at the clinic love Flash. When we drop him off everyone comes over to say hi to him and wave and say how much better he looks now then the last time he was there and we were trying to discover the source of his mysterious illness. They think he is just the greatest and full of character. Unfortunately, for them, it is a one way love affair because Flash hates them. He hates the clinic and anyone associated with that place. He offers his doting public no tail wags, no licks, no belly rub opportunities and no friendly greeting. For them he only has dagger eyes, avoidance and pretending they don't exist.

Too bad for our little old guy he has become a VIP member of the Sandlake Animal Clinic. At least this time it was just for routine dental work. When we first got Flash two years ago his teeth were HORRIBLE! They were full of infections, and had obviously never seen a tooth brush. His cleaning took quite a while and the vet even had to take out a tooth. Because his teeth were in such a bad state and were never properly cared for, on top of the fact that dachshunds are genetically prone to teeth issues, the vet warned us that it would be an up hill battle with Flash's teeth. And an up hill battle it has been. We brush his teeth every day, give him his antler and other treats that fight tarter, and even with all this he has needed to go in for a cleaning every six months. Most dogs can go just once a year to the dentist and be all right, but Flash builds up tartar so fast that every time his dentist appointment comes around he really needs it. This time was no different and one of his back teeth had a bad case of gingivitis and actually had to be removed. The doctor said it was such a little tooth that Flash probably won't even notice the difference. Besides that he said his other teeth looked like they were in good shape and we have been able to stop the gum recession he had when we first got him. So that was good news for us.

Doctor Nash brought Flash out to us, showed us his new pearly whites and gave Flash a pat on the head for being such a good patient. Flash turned away, offering only his disdain as a form of farewell and basically dragged Joe out the door. At least we were forgiven for our previous betrayal which is nice. Now he is back home and glad to have a four day rest from having his teeth brushed while his gum's recover from the extraction.

Oh, we hope Flash is feeing better today! We know all too full well going to the "doggy dentish" - both Oskar & Xena (who is now sans toofies) have had extensive peridontal disease and extractions. Seems no matter how much we brush - and cleanings every 6 mths - we have problems! When we adopted Xena - her first trip netted 11 extractions - same with the second visit!

Dear (abused) cousin Flash, I am glad to hear you made it back home safely (traumatized)from the vet. A good teeth cleaning is nothing to feel bad (vengeful) about, good oral health is very important (over-rated). I myself have to sit calmly (can you say bucking bronco?) when my mommy cleans (tortures) my teeth. Hang in there (go for the ankles!), and use your manly ways (puppy eyes) to make sure you get your way (the only way) from now on!.